ROTE NDAO, Indonesia – The captain of a people smuggling boat who says he was paid by Australian authorities to return the migrants to Indonesia has described a terrifying ordeal on the voyage back. The Indonesian captain, Johanes Humiang, said in an interview Wednesday that Australian authorities seized the boat …
Read More »Mexico says woman killed when migrant boat collides with US Customs vessel off California
MEXICO CITY – Mexico says one of its citizens died after a boat carrying Mexican migrants capsized in U.S. waters off Southern California. The Foreign Relations Department said the boat collided with a U.S. Customs and Border Protection vessel early Thursday near Encinitas, California. A statement said one woman died, …
Read More »Leading Cuba rights group says 60 political prisoners remain behind bars, less than last year
HAVANA – A leading non-governmental human rights group says 60 political prisoners remain behind bars in Cuba, significantly fewer than last year. The Cuban Commission for Human Rights and Reconciliation said in a report released Friday there in addition to the 60 prisoners, another 11 people are on some kind …
Read More »British European Games worker killed in road crash in Azerbaijan
BAKU, Azerbaijan – A British national working at the inaugural European Games in Azerbaijan has been killed in a road accident in the capital Baku. British embassy spokesperson Gunel Ahmedova told The Associated Press by telephone that the individual, who has not been named, had been employed by a company …
Read More »Spain's PM names new education minister ahead of tough general elections
MADRID – Spain’s prime minister has replaced unpopular Education Minister Jose Ignacio Wert in an apparent step to try to halt the government’s slide in popularity ratings ahead of this year’s general election. Wert’s education reform bill met with wide opposition from regional officials and teacher and parent groups and …
Read More »Nigeria urged to repeal its anti-gay law by human rights group
LAGOS, Nigeria – A new report says Nigeria’s draconian law against gays has led to mob attacks, police torture, evictions, public whippings and health risks, and asks the country’s new president to repeal the legislation. The Same Sex Marriage Prohibition Act became law 18 months ago prescribing up to 14 …
Read More »Russia fails to reach deal on future gas supplies to Ukraine amid price differences
MOSCOW – Talks on Russian gas supplies to Ukraine have failed to reach an agreement on future supplies. The two countries have fought several gas price wars in past years, and gas disputes exacerbated after Russia’s annexation of Ukraine’s Crimean Peninsula in 2014 and a pro-Russian insurgency in eastern Ukraine. …
Read More »7 police officers formally charged with torturing women in Mexico's army slaying case
MEXICO CITY – Authorities in Mexico on Wednesday formally accused seven state police officers of torturing three women who survived a confrontation a year ago in which soldiers allegedly killed at least a dozen suspected gang members after they surrendered. Four of the police officers have been detained and a …
Read More »S Africa: Opposition party files charges against deputy president for 2012 shooting of miners
JOHANNESBURG – An opposition party has filed criminal charges against South Africa’s deputy president and other officials for their alleged involvement in the police shooting deaths of 34 miners during labor unrest. The Economic Freedom Fighters on Friday filed charges of murder, attempted murder and the conspiracy to commit murder …
Read More »Truck collision kills 15 farm workers in western Turkey
ANKARA, Turkey – An official says a truck transporting milk has slammed into a pickup truck carrying farm workers to a plantation in western Turkey, killing 15 people, most of them women. Erdogan Bektas, governor for Manisa province, said two other people were injured in the accident, which occurred Monday …
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